Yolanda Carslaw tests five very different ski schools in Zermatt, Switzerland:
the Ski and Snowboard School, Summit, Stoked, Prato Borni and AER.

SKI AND SNOWBOARD SCHOOL

A total of 250 instructors, aged 19-65 (a quarter of whom are female) are mostly Swiss with 80 per cent from the local valley.

They say We have more highly trained teachers than other schools – 160 teachers have passed Swiss exams to the highest level.

My lesson Zermatt-born Markus Steffen, 27, has been teaching for eight years and has his full qualification. He had the look of a racer – indeed, it transpired he was a teenage giant slalom champion. To gauge our ability, Markus sent me in front and I had to ski hard enough to challenge my friend Abi, who followed me, then we swapped. He worked on our technique, improving my hip position at the end of turns. He practised synchronised skiing with us – great for rhythm and control – and showed us "trick" turns, including a move called the Swedish scissors that trainee instructors were trying nearby, with a similar degree of success. We followed him at speed until our legs burned and usually reached the bottom puffing. He was fluent in English though not bilingual, and we taught him a few words, including "to show off". "Skiing is partly about showing off," he said with a smile.

STOKED

Run by young Swiss instructors originally from outside the valley; affiliated to Swiss Snowsports and also has a shop and internet café. There are 75 teachers, aged 18-45, half of them women and a dozen British.

They say Your smile is our satisfaction.

My lesson Sophie Grant, 30, from Essex, has her Swiss qualification and worked previously in Davos for five years. She led off with tremendous energy, carving speedy dynamic curves – so dynamic that she caught an edge and went flying – providing a sharp test of our brakes. Well, anyone can fall.

Sophie had the knack of finding the best snow and terrain. She packed exercises into the lesson yet gave us decent mileage. Useful tips included tightening the tummy muscles during short turns and she taught synchronised skiing with skill. One behind the other, on a steep stretch, we held ourselves in a snowplough, our sticks planted in front of us. On "three" we closed one ski; on "two" the other; on "one" we pushed off: "... and, one, two, three, four, five, six!" Six short turns later we were lined up, facing the same direction – theoretically. Sophie got further plus points for offering Abi her spare hand-warmers, giving advice on skating effectively, telling us where on the mountain to spot Robbie Williams and ducking into powder, exclaiming "pow-pow!" Only mountain guides take clients well off marked runs, but she knew the limits.

SUMMIT

Set up in 2004 by two British instructors and a former Inghams resort manager. There are 30 instructors, aged 19-40, mostly trained under the British BASI system – two to top level (One), the rest evenly split between Twos and Threes. Outstanding website, especially the "kids and skiing" section and the instructors' biographies.

They say We don't believe "follow me" is a teaching style, nor do we believe "bend ze knees" will take your skiing to the next level.

My lesson Laurie Gilfoy, 22, from Oxfordshire, has been skiing for seven years and is a BASI Two. He was chatty, engaging but did he have the experience and confidence? Well, just. Laurie covered plenty of mileage, taught us to ski on one leg and had a go at our short turns, but his approach was vague ("Take your own line, have a bit of a blast"). Only when we asked him to let us follow him at pace were we really tested. After sticking to his line on a steep piste we arrived at the lift puffing and grinning. He also picked up my error of slightly lifting the inside ski, and he was great fun. Laurie's approach would work a treat with teenagers and intermediates who want to cruise the slopes with a fun teacher. Groups, limited to six, run even if only one or two sign up, and you won't have to listen to instructions in several languages. However, I suggest experts ask for a BASI One teacher.

Verdict Enterprising British school that does teens and intermediates proud.

PRATO BORNI

Set up by the former president of the Ski and Snowboard School, Elmar Lehner, and his mountain guide brothers in 2005. Up to 15 instructors, mostly local.

They say Everyone's a VIP guest at Prato Borni.

My lesson Elmar, 36 (the average age of teachers is 32), has the best ski pedigree of our teachers – his grandfather was one of the first Swiss teachers to qualify and his father is an instructor. He's also the best qualified – he trains instructors, and teaches telemark and snowboarding too. Elmar was extremely hot on technique. A tweak of my arm, an adjustment of my inside knee, and I was powering out of turns with scarcely a slide. Timing of my up-down in short turns got attention, too. Abi found his explanations hard to grasp, but just following him worked wonders. We were glad we'd only booked half a day, though – it was hard work.

Verdict Local, small and perfectly formed; especially good for technique.

AER

Set up in 2000 as Independent Swiss Snowsports Instructors (ISSI) by Martin Rutishauser, 35, from northern Switzerland, it changed its name this season (AER stands for atmosphere, earth, recreation). Nine instructors, aged 25-35.

They say The unique snowsport school in Zermatt providing only fully certified instructors (as opposed to "qualified", which can refer to introductory training).

My lesson Roger Schluep, a smiley and softly spoken 33-year-old, worked previously for Stoked and comes from northern Switzerland. The AER outfit is understated yet smart and Roger's neat and unshowy skiing style and gentle approach to teaching matched it well. First, to get us standing better on our skis, he embarked on a slightly alarming exercise where one person supports the weight of the other on hooked-together sticks while doing short turns. Roger interwove exercises with bouts of following and sometimes sending us in front. He was especially good at giving us just one thing to think about during each descent. We had to concentrate and were certainly pushed, even if his style did not have the energy of Markus or Elmar.

If you want a teacher who is male, female, young, older or has completed their qualification to top level, ask.

Private lessons can be excellent value if you team up with friends or family – but make sure you're an even standard.

Zermatt's schools meet private pupils at their hotels on request, a popular option, apparently, with Russian families, who have been known to meet at 11am, have a coffee, head up the mountain, and have a long lunch – in other words, barely to ski at all. It's better value to meet on the mountain.

Be specific about what you want to improve or learn.

Resist the temptation to watch or "help" your children in lessons: young ones usually get on better if parents disappear.